How-To Geek

Storage fills up faster than it should, especially when you're juggling multiple machines. Between older PCs, test systems, and everyday use, I've learned that low disk space rarely tells the full story. Windows will give you a vague breakdown, but it doesn't actually show you what's going on. I've had drives that looked full for no obvious reason, and digging through folders manually never gave me a clear answer.

If your Linux system crashes and locks you out, you risk losing everything—files, data, time. If you have a bootable Linux USB recovery disk, tough, you'll be ready to restore, repair, and rescue your system before it’s too late.

Windows is a (mostly) useful operating system out of the box, but if you use it enough, you find that there are things that might make life a little easier. Savvy users will install PowerToys. Here are some things in the latest version that I hope become standard in the future.

Did you know that your smart TV is tracking your viewing and streaming habits? Your smart TV knows what you watch, when, for how long, and even what you passed over before choosing that specific movie or show. To make matters worse, your smart TV is actually capturing screenshots of your browsing habits and sending them back to the manufacturer.

When Plex starts buffering or stuttering, it's easy to assume that hardware problems are to blame, especially if you're using a NAS. But that often isn't the case. With Plex, the overall setup is so important. If your media files aren’t in the right format, Plex has to convert them on the fly, and that’s what causes many performance problems.

You’re used to using your phone, shouting at a smart speaker, or tapping a dashboard on the wall to control your smart home. But adding a select few controls to my Apple Watch has been more useful than any of these when I’m in a rush, on a bike, or otherwise preoccupied.

Linux is often held up as an example of an operating system that is more private and secure than Windows, and not without reason—it does have some distinct advantages. However, Windows hasn't been totally left behind either. There are several ways that Windows matches, or even surpasses, Linux on the privacy and security front.

I still clearly remember the first portable CD player my parents bought me in the early 2000s. I'd always wanted one, but I had to make do with a cheap Walkman clone instead, dubbing CDs to tape using our home Hi-Fi.

Although I firmly believe that most people don't need an expensive SSD, cheaper drives have some downsides. One glaring flaw is that they seemingly slow down for no reason.

I've been using Google's smartphones for a long time. Although they aren't technically "stock Android," they do represent Android in its peak form: smooth, clean, uncluttered. For years, they felt like the closest thing Android had to an iPhone-style experience.

This text editor is a bit of a hidden gem, but it borrows some of Vim’s best features and works well alongside it, too. Find out how to get up and running with Textadept, and why it could be a vital addition to your toolbox.

In modern culture, every movie and TV show seems to be a book adaptation, and reading has entered a golden age. So many people are turning to currently trending novels, old bestsellers, and classics galore to read about the tales before they watch them on streaming websites, even if some, like Netflix, aren't the best anymore.

Don't you just love it when one setting can affect your entire network, and you may often not even know about it? In this case, we're talking about an often overlooked legacy setting that can completely wreck mixed-speed setups.

Freezing panes was once the go-to method for keeping headers in view, but on modern 16:9 screens, it takes up valuable vertical space. If you're still locking rows like it's 1997, it's worth exploring newer tools that achieve a similar outcome while making better use of your screen.

LEGO is fun, whether you’re eight or 80. If you have a 3D printer, you might think that the two hobbies go hand in hand. While it’s true that there are a lot of resources available, LEGO and 3D printing aren’t the match made in heaven you’re hoping for.

The last version of DOS was released more than 30 years ago, but even after all that time, many DOS features have survived in Windows. Some of them are even among the most common and useful tools you can use in the Windows Terminal.

The low-frequency rumble of a subwoofer is usually the greatest source of contention between you and your neighbors if you live in an apartment, since you need to place it in specific places for the best sound.

The ESP32 has become a killer gadget for anyone who wants to DIY their own smart home solutions. Why wait for someone to make the smart home gadget of your dreams when you can combine an ESP32 with a few accessories and program it to do exactly what you need?

There are dozens of Linux file systems, and I'm sure you've heard of ReiserFS at least once. It promised a great deal but ultimately failed. I could give you some technical reason for its demise, but that would be dishonest. The true reason is much darker, and if you heard it, you might appreciate your day a little more.

My smart home definitely doesn’t need a dedicated dashboard. Even so, I’ll eventually probably throw something together on the cheap, just because I can. But if I had a few grand to spend on something fancy, I’d buy a far less useful but ultimately more beautiful relic of the past instead.